Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-02-18
AN UNLUCKY CHURCH MOUSE.
He Attends n Methodist Prayer-Meet-
ing aud Creates N GI eat ComIno-
lion

ing aud Creates n Great Commo-
ton.
A church mouse. although proven
bially poor, has never Ia d its character
for meekness questioned. 1t has never
been limited that there were any un-
righteous frivolties about HIM. He has
been pitied for his poverty, facetiously
alluded to as having a brave appetite.
and some have even spoken In contempt
OF his judgment in hanging around a
church anyway. But the mouse has
borne it all in silence.
During services, when the congrega-
ton slept and the good minister went
on in the even tenor of his sermon,
the church mouse has come out and
made friendly calls at the pews down
the main aisle. as if looking for char
ity from the well-fed people. Nobody
ever supposed that this lonely mouse
would be so vicious as to break up
Methodist prayer-meeting. These
meetings are usually noted for their
spirited charges upon the devil and his
hosts, and the noise of this engage
ment is generally more than a poor
church mouse can conscientiously face.
But the White Plains mouse in the
Methodist church there was not that
kind of mouse.
When Brother Plat was PRAYING in
+ sharp and Brother Romers and Cox
and Jackman were encouraging him by
frequent EXPLANATIONS of approval
away down in G. flat the mouse came
out to see what was going on. What
he saw and heard no doubt affected his
nerves and caused him to lose his head
and his reckoning.
As the battle went on tho mouse
concluded that he must get under COW
or. Taking the correct bearings for
Brother Jackman's right trousers leg.
which gaped welcome. the poor
church mouse ran in. 1t was a fear
ful mistake, for it cost him his life.
frightened Brother Jackman so badly
that he imagined the old enemy had
him, and temporarily broke up Mr..
Plat'ts supplication.
When the mouse had turned the bend
of Brother Jackman's kuee he exclajm-
ed, "Oh. Lord!' in such peculiar tone
that it arrested the proceedings tor the
/ instant. When he supplemented this
exclamation with the earthly remark,
Ouch and then. "Oh, heaven!" there
was faint suspicion that Brother Jack
man was not giving his undivided at
tention TO the remarks which Brother
Platt was uttering. When the eyes of
the astonished brothers and sisters were
riveted upon Brother Jackman they be-
held an excited young man standing be-
fore them in STOPPING condition, hold
| ing on to some real or imaginary sub
stance, they were not certain which. on
the inside OF his trousers leg, just above
his knee. His face grew livid, and his
breathing was quick and hard. His
eyes were standing out like those of a
snail, and altogether he seemed per-
turbed.
HONt VI INC lllOIt anu tx
perienced brothers, who had seen the
athletic exercises introduced by the
Brooklyn boys vaguely suggested to
themselves that this might be a rehear-
sal, but when Brother Jackman
Strengthened up his manly form and
shook his leg like tidy eat when she
gets her dainty foot wet, and the poor
church mouse dropped out of the trou-
sers lee limp and flabby on the Amin
ster carpet. the sisters shrieked and the
more mature brothers Remarked: well,
/ swouw."
The poor little church mouse was
dead,
There was no heart in the services
after this awful discovery. and when
Brother Platt had cut ont Il good section
of his prayer, and Brother Lull had
pronounced the benedicton prayer
meeting dissolved. And the poor little
dead mouse was thrown out into the
cold, cruel snow -NcU York Star.